The woman’s statement continues: “We walked back up towards our apartment, a group had gathered on the corner. The McCanns were in bits, he was crying on the shoulder of a friend. She was screaming: ‘The f*****g bastards have taken her’

Madeleine-s-tears-alerted-a-resident-on-eve-of-her-disappearance Madeleine’s tears alerted a resident on eve of her disappearance

It is believed they entered the bedroom on May 2, 2007, the evening before Madeleine disappeared from the Ocean Club at Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve.

The tip-off was given by two key witnesses who were reinterviewed as part of the Yard’s two-year, £4.5million investigation.

[b]It is already known that Pamela Fenn, who lived directly above apartment 5a, heard a child, believed to be Madeleine, crying for about an hour on the evening of May 2.

She was so concerned she rang a friend in the village to ask what to do and considered ringing Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria.

At the time, Madeleine’s mother Kate and father Gerry were dining with friends at a tapas bar some 50 yards from the apartment.

A source said: “Police were astonished when this new information came to light. Officers spoke to other key witnesses to discover more about the middle-aged couple.

“Apparently they were concerned about the crying and went to see if they could comfort the girl.”

Pamela Fenn has since died, so police have been speaking to other people who were staying in the same apartments.

The McCanns were in bits, he was crying on the shoulder of a friend. She was screaming: ‘The f*****g bastards have taken her’

The woman’s statement

On their way home they walked directly past the entrance to the Ocean Club pool, where the “Tapas 7” (the name given to the friends eating with the McCanns on the night Madeleine disappeared) were enjoying the meal with Kate and Gerry.

They walked past apartment 5a but noticed nothing untoward. The woman said in her statement: “I stood on the balcony at about 9.15 with a whisky.

“I saw people eating at the tapas bar and children in the play area. We went to bed at 10pm-ish. We were woken up by our bell ringing at 11.30pm. It was a friend of the McCanns, saying that a little girl had been abducted. The friend asked if we had a computer so they could get the media involved in the search.

“Two police were on the corner of our block, one lady said that off-duty police had come and were searching. We did see single men on mobiles while we were out who could have been police.”

The couple took part in the search for Madeleine and then returned to their apartment.

The woman’s statement continues: “We walked back up towards our apartment, a group had gathered on the corner. The McCanns were in bits, he was crying on the shoulder of a friend. She was screaming: ‘The f*****g bastards have taken her’. Finally, at around 4am, we said: ‘Is it OK if we go to bed?’ We directed this comment towards a man in a white shirt and jeans, who seemed to be authoritative.”

At the couple’s home here, two Yard officers questioned them separately for three hours and got them to sign lengthy statements. They further interviewed them this year to double check their information.

The couple are key because at precisely 9.15pm on May 3, Jane Tanner, a friend of the McCanns, said she left the tapas bar and walked past Gerry, who was talking to holidaymaker Jez Wilkins outside apartment 5a.

Neither Gerry nor Kate said they saw Jane. She reported that she had seen a man carrying a child, believed to be Madeleine, walking across the top of the road.

At the time she had not realised the significance. Officers asked the couple if they saw Jane, Gerry or Jez but they insist they did not.

The Sunday Express has visited the couple’s holiday apartment, which looks over the tapas bar. From its balcony you can see directly into the garden of apartment 5a.

The woman said: “We have one of the best views of the whole block. We are sure of the timings. If we had seen anyone we would have remembered.

“We will continue to answer the Yard’s questions. We have given our fingerprints and DNA. We were happy to assist. They should be left to get on with their inquiries.”

I'm not sure it's something you'd say if you had no idea who had taken her. And, as has been said many times before, surely the most common initial reaction would be that she had walked out looking for them? You'd make a frantic search.

almostgothic wrote:Indeed - and also how she knew that Madeleine was taken by these effing bastards (plural) as opposed to one effing bastard (singular).

Just what I'm thinking. Surely that exclamation gives rise to some serious questions and also why Kate McCann told the social worker, who tried to help, that a couple had taken Madeleine.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________"You can run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Sooner or later God'll cut you down." (Johnny Cash)

Looks like it's all beginning to unravel. Hearing from unbiased, independent witnesses is very enlightening, firstly that Jane Tanners 9.15pm sighting of bundleman is refuted and then the utterly bizarre "middle aged couple soothing Madeleine in the apartment the night before she disappeared...WTF???

So a strange couple walk into an unlocked apartment to comfort a crying child who's parents are down the pub pissing it up with their mates.A very unhelpful development for the not very caring parents.

Only thing is if this happened on the 2nd then it somewhat messes up the theory that Maddie died earlier ?

I think the mccanns are going to have to find a good lawyer quite soon.

Lioned wrote:So a strange couple walk into an unlocked apartment to comfort a crying child who's parents are down the pub pissing it up with their mates.A very unhelpful development for the not very caring parents.

Only thing is if this happened on the 2nd then it somewhat messes up the theory that Maddie died earlier ?

I think the mccanns are going to have to find a good lawyer quite soon.

In Mrs Fenn statement it says 1st of May.Is met using k8s book as reference and not the PJ files?

Who the Hell would walk in to someones house and soothe a child??? Can this get any more stupid? PDL is a frigging ghost town at that time of year!! The couple if indeed they even exist would walk to the bloody small reception area that leads to the pool/tapas area andd report a crying child, who would them tannoy or go to the bloody bar and tell the parents that a child is crying and has been for a long time. This makes Micley Mouse seem like the President of the fricking USA!!! It's beyond bloody stupid.

oh Iris I so agree with you, but I don't think the SY will question the frangrant one with the pottymouth. they'll leave that for the PJ. I think this because its all over the media and I would like to think that the SY had questioned Kate and knew the answers before letting the retiring honcho free with his comments, and it seems there is no response at the moment from the McCs or the pink one. jimo.

Could this be the night that the children were crying and someone from the OC had to go and get the mccanns from the pub further away (can't remember what it's called) not the Tapas Bar, where they were told to get their sorry ars*s back to the apartment!Now could that have been a couple who reported the children who were concerned about the crying because they sounded distressed, unlike the pissed up parents!

Lillyofthevalley wrote:Could this be the night that the children were crying and someone from the OC had to go and get the mccanns from the pub further away (can't remember what it's called) not the Tapas Bar, where they were told to get their sorry ars*s back to the apartment!Now could that have been a couple who reported the children who were concerned about the crying because they sounded distressed, unlike the pissed up parents!

Chaplins, the bar/restaurant which is near the beach at the back of the church

I'm pretty sure the Portugese interviewed all these people at the time, how else would they be available NOW.?? The McCanns could definitely have been charged with neglect which carried a 1 year jail sentence....BUT THEY WERE NOT!!!! This is why I think they truly are the untouchables and continue to have the U.K. Government support and the SY Review prove nothing. ??? Don't forget, Madeleine is still a Ward of Court.If this is all the SY Team of 30 odd Detectives and 5 clerical staff working for over 2 years can come up with Cameron will have to explain to Parliament, another nail in his PM coffin.

Well it's the worst protection ever then, this is also why I don't believe in any coverups or whitewash reviews etc because we just would not have heard about the McCanns, they wouldn't need a PR man and expensive lawyers to protect their reputations, they would just have faded into obscurity with no fear of prosecution, but they have continued to hog the limelight, slag off the Portuguese and British establishments and hijacked any cause that suits them (notably they have been rather silent about Tia and April) so I imagine the knifes are out for them from various directions.

The reason the McCanns can continue with this charade...lack of evidence...solid, irrefutable evidence of their involvement in Madeleine's disappearance...and they know it! Which is also why I understand why the review is taking the length of time it is...the missing piece of the jigsaw, the phrase the McCanns often use themselves, the problem is, whilst the McCanns probably know what it is, the police don't, and they have to sift through mountains of paperwork to hopefully find it.

And with the various recent happenings, it may well be they have found it.

susible wrote:Well it's the worst protection ever then, this is also why I don't believe in any coverups or whitewash reviews etc because we just would not have heard about the McCanns, they wouldn't need a PR man and expensive lawyers to protect their reputations, they would just have faded into obscurity with no fear of prosecution, but they have continued to hog the limelight, slag off the Portuguese and British establishments and hijacked any cause that suits them (notably they have been rather silent about Tia and April) so I imagine the knifes are out for them from various directions.

The reason the McCanns can continue with this charade...lack of evidence...solid, irrefutable evidence of their involvement in Madeleine's disappearance...and they know it! Which is also why I understand why the review is taking the length of time it is...the missing piece of the jigsaw, the phrase the McCanns often use themselves, the problem is, whilst the McCanns probably know what it is, the police don't, and they have to sift through mountains of paperwork to hopefully find it.

And with the various recent happenings, it may well be they have found it.